Eubotius

The holy martyrEubotius (or Eubiotos) lived during the reign of the Emperor Maximian in 298. He came from a village called Ptoketon, which lies in the province called "of Opsikios". He was born and brought up there, and this is also where he died. Because the saint led a life pleasing to God and excelled in every kind of virtue, he suffered much harm from the Greeks as he moved from place to place and was beaten. Moreover, he suffered exceedingly because he performed many miracles and through them he made many unbelievers return to the faith of Christ. Once, after he had been roughly beaten by the Greeks with sticks and stones, he was thrown into the fire. But because he was kept harmless through the grace of Christ, many people who saw this were amazed, believed in Christ, and were baptised at the church there, which had been established by the apostles Paul and Silas.

When Leontios, the governor of Kyzikos (Cyzicus), was informed of this, he sent men to bind the saint and immediately ordered to them hit Eubotius on the mouth, jaws, and cheeks with stones. Then they hung him on a tree and tore his body apart with whips. Next they threw him to the lions to be eaten. But, when the lions did not harm Eubotius, they locked him in prison. Again many Greeks saw this admirable thing, hastened to the faith of Christ, and were baptised. The governor, however, ordered the gladiators to kill the saint. Instead, they killed each other because darkness had come over them. The martyr was kept unharmed and was thrown again in prison. Twenty-two days later a God-sent and joyous message was heard: Constantine was coming from the western parts of Europe to the east to fight the tyrant Maximian. Maximian was so scared that he ordered the Christians set free from prisons and chains. That is when this great saint Eubotius was set free from his chains, returned to his cell, lived for five more years, and, after he had performed many more miracles, commended his spirit to the Lord in peace in 318. The Church remembers him as a martyr (though he was not killed) on December 18.